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What does "memory usage" mean in programming?

memory usage is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.

Definition

The amount of RAM a program consumes at runtime. High memory usage can slow a system, cause garbage collection pauses, or trigger out-of-memory crashes. Profiling memory usage helps find leaks and unnecessary allocations.

Example

"Memory usage spikes to 4 GB during peak traffic — profile the heap to find and fix the memory leak."

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